The Highgrader

ing self-contempt came his bl

nd Moya made sure no tales could be read in

" The young woman's voice came cool and

I come, since

ask me

ad been passed, but it did not shak

ckon

. You will probably have the effrontery to deny

There was amusement and a to

the money and hurried away to rob him of it. Because you are his cousin he wouldn't accuse you. But I did. I do now. You stole

n't deny that I was the man. Well, I'll

d time. Your denial would count for nothing. An

ut to turn away. A gestur

me why didn't you have the

you are a relativ

he only rea

here be?" she asked, a fla

that at the bottom of your h

't hold up Captain Kilmen

road shoulders. "

robbe

put it that way.

had offered to stand by you. Oh, I do

re going to hear them-and right now. You're entitled to

was trying to be your friend. That may mean nothing to

. I'll make it right with him

you took

ness. If you'll sit down again and listen,

ce in his manner s

N

es

heir eyes. She had courage, just as he had,

too often already

hurt you an

efore she could stop them, but as their import came ho

ar thinks we oughtn't to meet. That's all bosh. I'm not intending to make love to you, even though I think you're a mighty nice girl. B

anged for girls that way-not if they belong to the class I do. We're shut i

e wire. That's why you're going

I don't think morality is only a convention, Mr

community a service. But we won't go into that now, though I'll just say this. What is right

ou-while you were hiding from the officers

're prosecuting attorney and judge

ly erect. Not again was she going to le

what you have to

uilty,

in half an hour we found out that you knew where the booty was hidden. Before that discrep

do with it

hould

he handed to Moya. It was a receipt in full from the treasurer of the Gunnison County F

shining eyes. "You repente

repent, but I

hy

tory of my life-goes back thirty-one years,

es

tspoken. This made him enemies among the gang of cattle thieves operating in the country where his ranch lay. He lost calve

girl softly in f

. Any man that was a man had sometim

g your father. Only ... it must

in the cow town where the stockmen came to buy provisions. My father had gone there by appointment to meet a man-lured to his death by a forged note. H

it," the girl cr

y, the whole half dozen of them, and laughed in a slow

elieve easily this story of the f

a stranger rose from a corner and told the rustlers they would have t

he was a friend of your fat

n him before. But he

dusky face, the glow of her generous heart finding expression externally. It was a part of her charm that

are such men," s

he rustlers were dead, two badly wounded, and the others galloping away for their

ed-surely the

of them are dead now. Sam Lundy-that was the name of my father's rescuer-left two chil

run the risk of prison to save his friend. And her heart went out t

he son that your father owed

d it, h

end was t

e wrong through drink and bad company. That's how it was this time. My friend is a range rider. His heart is as open and clean as the plains. But he's young yet-just t

girl said, almos

uld have had no doubts about what to think of this alien society where an honest man could

d Mosby were planning to pull off. Knowing I had some influence with Cur

We all thought you should have

guessed the hold-up would be close to the bank, because the treasurer of the association might take any one of three streets to drive in from the fair grounds. That's where we went wrong. The boys were just drunk enough not to remember this. Well, while w

d t

osby's idea had been to throw suspicion on us for an hour or two until they could make their getaway. We rode back to the crowd, learned

ere in a hurry wh

t's

riff thought you were

hink anything

all the time I knew in my heart you could

"Did your friends know it? Did Miss

at she thought. I didn't h

o marry that fe

n't k

sk her,

tle wanly. "You'll have to ask Mr. Ver

ling. You kno

nk he

she ta

I'd rather not discuss the subject, ple

oot over to me I'd try to call off the officers. Curly was sick and ashamed of the whole business and was willing to do whatever I thought best. Mosby had different notions, but I persuaded him to s

aken back to Gunnison

near the scene of the robbery. The president of the bank had been talking to us about ten minu

ey fre

the association-that if I got the money back all prosecutions would

only told me

a chance on him. The only way to save Curly was to take back the money myself. I couldn't b

ot of your friend t

o make a man of him, and if she had

pproving light. "Yes, you would have

ith a face crinkled to humor.

uppose that Captain Kilmeny had picked

must have the money. No, Miss Dwight, I

tle derisive twist that was a smile

ow. The man bowed and the Westerner answered the greeting by lifting his hat. When he looked back

baggage! I wonder whether

uick surprise that was

ir

in not to take up with strange boys-and Americans, at that. Mith Lupton

und came from them. She was on the

would be somefing else if it wasn't this," he contin

s Lu

at-why, at selling stars of her own manufacture. The picture began to take form. A boy came into it, and vaguely other figures. She recalled impending punishment, inte

she asked, eyes wi

ou're that long-legged li

l the time ... and I d

and diffident. She had loved him then. She loved him now

re a dream friend of mine. In the daytime I've had other thi

before ... w

what I

you too," she confessed with an adorable shyness. "Ho

to meet you. Wasn't that in your dreams

ing you. But-why d

n't have known you if it h

I've chan

up. You're still a little rebel. Sometimes

o things," she smiled. "And yo

t of it yet sometimes

led. Her mouth was strangely dry and her heart had a queer uncertain beat. "Why shouldn't I be-with my baby da

or it. Since he had no intention of being sentimental he was distinctly annoyed a

ward them. One glance told Moya that her chaperone had made up her mi

arquhar. Mr. Kilmeny and I are old friends. We

sband. He cleared his thr

ime I'd like to have you look over s

derstood perfectly. "I've

meny has been freed of all suspicion in connection with the rob

mphasized his words, by adding a moment later: "

a note of reserve in her manner.

o the young man. "May

en nodded shortl

mouth suggested amusement. Something of humorous derision in his blue eyes told Farquhar that the Coloradoan did no

ne you an injustice. If I had a son I would want him to h

is young man might be cleared but that did not make him any more eligib

. It does you credit. Your cousins won't

to ride up into the hills to let the boys know it's al

e this will be good-by, then."

ast to Moya. "Go

was buried for an instant in his brown pal

repeated in a c

and you're all going up to the mines. Tell Captain Kilmeny I'll try to see h

up. "Do you li

etim

and tur

she had spoken of Goldbanks. Was there after all some mystery about him or his occu